List: all 230 cars from The Palmen Collection barnfind

The collection of 82-year-old Ad Palmen from Dordrecht has become world famous overnight. As an entrepreneur without a wife or children, the best man spent his time filling two sheds and a church building with the most diverse, unique, rare and valuable classics.

For forty years, Mr. Palmen kept his largely secret collection in hopes of keeping everything running while he bought more and more cars. After his mental health deteriorated and he ended up in a nursing home, the collection was placed under guardianship. Classic specialist Nico Aaldering of The Gallery then took over the collection of 230+ cars.

No details

The Gallery Aaldering announced yesterday that The Palms Collection would be offered for auction through Classic Car Auctions, but did not give a detailed account of the specific models that were part of the collection.

It did become clear that the collection consisted of various models of Italian, German, French, American, British and even Czech origin. However, that has now changed: The Gallery has published a complete list.

The list

The list clearly shows how diverse and broad Mr Palmen’s taste was. The oldest car (Singer Convertible) dates from 1912, while the newest (Opel Movano pickup) was built in 2006.

Palmen preferred the products of Alfa Romeo (20), Lancia (13), Ford (12), Jaguar (10) and Mercedes (9). In addition to the better-known brands, he also managed to acquire models from very obscure manufacturers, such as Bond, Essex, Villard, Imperia, Monica and Moretti.

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Catch of millions

Now that the models are known, it is possible to make a small estimate of the value of the enormous collection. For convenience, we have limited ourselves to identifying the most valuable models from the collection. It soon became clear that there are several million worth of dusty old carts.

The absolute highlight of the collection is Lancia Aurelia B24 Spyder America from 1955. In 2016, the same copy in top condition was auctioned for no less than two million dollars (€ 1.8 million). Prices start around half a million. In second place we find the Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sport Coupe from 1950, which can be asked for between 700,000 and a million. The third place is for the Mercedes 300S Roadster ‘Adenauer’ from 1953, which can fetch between 500,000 and 700,000 euros. The 1964 Lancia Flaminia Sport Zagato (300,000 to 500,000) and the 1965 Maserati Mistral (200,000 – 500,000) round out the top five.

For every wallet

However, enthusiasts with a smaller wallet need not feel disadvantaged. There is a car for almost every budget. You can also go for a ‘normal’ Ford Mustang 289 Coupe from 1965, Jaguar XJ-S Convertible from 1995 or an ’82 Datsun 280ZX Turbo.

Are you really strapped for cash? Then there are cars like the DAF 600, Renault 19 Cabriolet, Volvo 340 DL, or Opel Vectra B 1.6. Practically inclined auction tigers can have fun with the Opel Movano pickup, Mercedes Vito 108CDI, Renault Express or Citroën Jumper mentioned above. So there really is something for everyone.